Nineteen Hanlan scullers from the coastal rowing/distance group headed for Welland on Sunday May 4. Their hopes were high that Mother Nature would welcome them with some sunshine and calm waters for the 2014 Banana Belt Tour. Hanlan members were eager to get on the water; for some it was their first row of what has been a particularly cold, windy and late spring.

Rigging was done in a beautiful space where a large dock proved convenient for launching on the 15-kilometre course. In all, there were about 35 participants. Coincidentally the Tour rowed alongside Upper Canada College crews (one of Hanlan’s resident clubs) who were there for a training session. Everyone had a great row and smiles were the order of the day. My mom was experimenting with the video feature on my camera and shemanaged to capture a quad led by Eric Hall and some ladies making the smoothest docking I’ve ever seen!

The water was very chilly that day, numbing fingertips almost instantly. But the anticipation of grabbing the oars and digging in outweighed the fear of the cold water beneath us.

Rain showers and cool, overcast autumn conditions appear to motivate Hanlan Boat Club’s recreational and long distance rowers. They were the most sizeable contingent at the Icicle Chase half-marathon organized by Quinte Rowing Club on October 19th on behalf of Ontario Adventure Rowing.

Challenging each other on the 23-km course on the Otonabee River between Peterborough and Campbelltown, HBC’s four crews made up half the field of eight boats. More impressively, a number of those crews enjoyed personal best performances.

Although conditions were gray, cool and occasionally rainy, the wind that day was mercifully gentle. With most of the crews rowing in Hudson T-11 coxed quads over an extended period of time, the athletes are significantly exposed to adverse conditions. The scenery was, however, an astounding and constantly unfolding panorama of steely autumn splendor.

The event finished with a barbecue and a few bottled Belgian delicacies courtesy of Jean-Christophe Marly, recently returned from his home country.

Hanlan

Toronto Rowing

Founded in 1975 by Sam Craig to establish the Upper Canada College Rowing Program, Hanlan Boat Club is home to two of the top high school programs in the country in Havergal and UCC, the University of Toronto Varsity Rowing Team (the oldest rowing program in Canada), a thriving Masters, Junior, and Senior Competitive Membership, and a growing stable of Community Programs.